ND/Sample Armors
The following armors are all made using the . New Dawn examples These are actual armors that people wear in the game, mostly Imperial armor. All of them can be made more ornate or styled differently. Generic Examples The Tables below are generic "piece-maille" grab-n-go examples, and don't represent anything in particular in the New Dawn game world. It loosely assigns "tiers" to the material types and options in the traditional RPG fashion, and then assigns DR by tier. Suits All of the following offer full coverage except for the Face and Skull. Armor with heavy bulk (ie, Medium and Heavy plate) have an additional +2 to target chinks in the armor because of the big gaps required to allow the armor to flex properly. Heavy bulk gauntlets give Bad Grip 1 and Ham-Fisted 1. Pot helms that cover only the skull have 1/15th the cost and weight of the full suit. Full helms with visors that cover the skull and face have 1/10th the cost and weight of the full suit. As these armors are full suits, they can be have weak back torsos and weak back limbs, reducing the cost of and weight of the armor by 20%. They can also have reinforced vitals, increasing the cost and weight by 5%, or both options together to reduce the cost and weight by 15%. Any of these armors can also be made cheaply, reducing the cost by 40% but increasing the weight by 25%. Light Cloth Armor Heavy wool felt, or layers of cloth quilted together. This can also be thin leathers. Thick Cloth Armor Quite a few layers of tough fabric quilted, or mixed layers of felt and fabric quilted together. Or very thick felt. Leather Armor Made from tough but still somewhat flexible animal hides, most commonly cattle. This is leather like "motorcycle leathers", not fashion leather (which counts as Light Cloth on a good day). Iron Scale, Light Small (quarter-to-silver-dollar sized) pieces of iron riveted or sewn in overlapping layers to a light leather or tough cloth backing. Small pieces of iron are easier to create than large sheets, which makes this popular with lower TL cultures and people stuck with bad iron quality. The thin scales in this armor make it generally inadequate armor for melee troops, but it is somewhat popular for warding arrows by people who can't afford better armor. Horn Scale Discs of animal hoof, horn, or antler sewn to a leather backing. Bulky, but low TL, all natural, and non-metallic, which matters for some fantasy characters. Light Brigandine TL 4 advances in metallurgy, textiles, and manufacturing allow the creation of a scale-like armor; the metal plates are precisely shaped rectangles that do not need to overlap to get full coverage (with a substantial weight savings). They are riveted between two layers of leather or tough cloth to fix them in place. Brigandine is fiddly and expensive to make, and the distinct rivets and shape of the plates under the fabric make it blatantly obvious that this is armor, not clothing, but it's still very good. Iron Mail Mail is a flexible armor made of interlocking metal rings, a non-rigid steel fabric. It is usually worn over a light padding, to keep the rings from pinching the wearer's skin. As mail is made entirely from metal, it has very good protection for its weight, but it's also expensive. The flexibility also makes it vulnerable to crushing attacks. Heavy Brigandine Heavy brigandine is similar to light brigandine, but uses thicker plates for better protection. Heavy Iron Scale This is like light iron scale, but uses thicker scales to provide more protection. Heavy iron scale is barely adequate armor for heavy melee troops, and at half the cost of heavy brigandine, is popular with budget conscious armies. Banded Mail Like standard Iron Mail, but reinforced with bands of leather through the rings. The bands stiffen the armor and make it less vulnerable to crushing attacks, but much heavier. Heavy brigandine is preferred among those with the technology to manufacture it. Segmented Plate Segmented plate is similar to brigandine, but with less sophisticated metallurgy and design and thicker plates. It is a common armor for heavy infantry in comparatively primitive armies. Light Plate TL4 Light plate is made from solid sheets of iron and steel, cleverly articulated through sliding rivets with very few weak points. It is "light" only compared to even heavier and thicker suits of plate. Even lighter suits of plate are available, but are mostly ceremonial armor. Medium Plate Medium plate is similar to light plate, but uses thicker plates. It is a preferred armor for heavy infantry or cavalry in armies that are rich and sophisticated enough to afford it. Heavy Plate Heavy plate is among the most protective and heaviest armors. Because of the extra weight over lighter armors, it is rarely used by infantry and is somewhat rare even among heavy cavalry.